


The Five Stages

by Imbicilite



Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991), Beauty and the Beast - All Media Types, Beauty and the Beast - Fandom, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
Genre: Gen, Journal Entries, New Curse, POV First Person, Post-Movie, Psychological, Psychologists
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 15:13:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21210635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imbicilite/pseuds/Imbicilite
Summary: Monsieur D’arque documents his patient LeFou from behind bars. Narrated by Monsieur D’Arque, this fanfiction takes a look into the psychologist’s journals documenting LeFou during their stay in the castle dungeon.





	1. Stage 1: Denial

Stage one: Denial. Observed in patient Saturday, August 12 [ REDACTED ]

From my prison, I could hear the following conversation occuring in the adjacent cell. The patient was dazed, confused. Clearly dealing with some sort of physical disturbance of his own, he had just been given the news that his Master had perished, fallen from the rooftop of the castle that now serves as our dungeon. I eavesdrop, as there is nothing else to do but to indulge in the dramas of my patient’s situation. Our captors seem far more preoccupied with him than I. Perhaps because my role in the plot was smaller, or perhaps because he is a much weaker target, one more suitable for them to take out their anger on. The princes voice rings as follows:

“He is gone. As per law, you will now face trial.”

But, my patient, still with enough sense to object, makes his claim.

“That— that can’t happen. I don’t have the right to one, Gaston gets to decide what happens to me, I owe him. I’m his.”

“But he’s gone.” Scoffs the prince. “Gone to hell like he deserves, after all he’s done to my wife. You deserve the same- if she’d let me execute you along with the scoundrel in the next cell over.”

My patient begins to throw somewhat of a fit, as I hear kicking, the rattling of chains.

“Really? You’re going to throw a tantrum over being tried as a free man? Did you actually enjoy being a slave to that brute?”

“I wasn’t a slave, I was an indentured servant.”

“And how long, pray tell, have you been one for?”

“I– t-twenty four…”

“And do you know how long those contracts are supposed to last?” 

“I–”

“Seven.” The prince began to pace, as there is no rattle of chains, one must deduce that it was indeed the prince walking about, circling my patient like a hawk. “Seven years. Tell me, did you have any clue when your contract was supposed to end?”

“I– n-no–” The stuttering. It wasn’t my patient’s usual sort of stuttering. This type of stuttering indicated a lie, and it seemed the Prince was picking up on it as well.

“Tell me the truth, LeFou, or I may not agree to Belle’s ideals of leniency with you.”

“I was… supposed to stay as long as he wanted me. He was protecting me! From ending up in the Maison!”

Protection? From my fine establishment? The nerve.

“So he just planned to hold you forever, without pay?”

“No. Maman got compensation for my work.”

“Did she now?” The tone, you could practically hear the smirk.

“Now I see why Belle has so much pity for you.” The rattling of chains occurs, so do footsteps. I can only presume that through these stone walls, the Prince is cornering my patient, who’s desperately scurrying back away from him.

“A slave. Truly, I shouldn’t even be keeping you here, if that’s the case. Having been taken advantage of for so long is truly a punishment in itself.”

“I wasn’t being taken advantage of!” His tone of voice raises. The patient appears to be lashing out in anger. How interesting.

The prince loses his temper. “You were. And if you’re too blind to see it, plan on insisting that you weren’t, then I will still prosecute you to the fullest extent for what you’ve done to my father in law, my wife, and my servants. As well as myself.”

The door slams. My patient and I are left alone in the darkness. Perhaps now is the time to enact our first therapy session.

“I… wasn’t being taken advantage of, was I?”

Oh, how delightful, the sounds of self-doubt. 

“What do you think, LeFou?” I reply. It is important to let the patient come to their own conclusions, instead of guiding them to one particular answer.

“I… I don’t know. I don’t think I was.”

“I don’t think I was.”


	2. Stage 2: Anger

Stage Two: Anger. Observed in patient Sunday, August 13 [ REDACTED ]

I awoke to what could only be described as an uncharacteristic miracle as my patient slammed himself into the wall between us. Echoed sobs filled the room, and I figured this was my time to act. 

“LeFou,explain your reasons for waking me like–”

“He didn’t tell me Maman died!” What’s this? He’d finally found out about Miriam, all these years later? It must’ve been the work of the Prince to inform him.

“All this time he said he was sending money to Maman! He was supposed to send money to Maman! But Maman wasn’t getting it because she was dead!”

“Now now, LeFou. Your mother and I were very close companions. I can assure you she was getting paid until the end of her natural life.”

“But he lied! He never told me she was gone– I… I can’t trust liars! Gaston lied to me!”

Banging, again.The patient appears to be coping using self-injury. I choose not to address this now.

“Maybe I was being taken advantage of all this time, maybe I was being used all this time– If he’d lie about Maman, what else would he lie about?”

The patient still has the capacity for logic. Astounding, considering his reputation. I proceed by allowing him to continue his rant.

“I don’t know why I feel like this, Doctor! I loved working for him, even if it was just for protection– the money doesn’t matter to me, but, the fact that he lied to me, it– Lying is bad! Bad people lie, and liars get punished for being bad!” He sobbed. My patient slams into the wall again, and again, and again.

“What else did he lie to me about? Did…. did he ever really love Belle? He told me they were soulmates! But now Belle found someone else and got married! That doesn’t happen to someone who isn’t with their soulmate–”

I attempt to soothe the patient. Perhaps this is a mistake. “I’m sure he didn’t lie about everything. Perhaps some things, but not all.”

“That doesn’t MATTER!” I’m met with screams, fighting, thrashing against the chains. “He lied to me– he promised me I wasn’t a slave, but the Prince keeps calling me one! He told me he and Belle were in love, but she never loved him back! He told me he was taking care of Maman, but Maman was gone! What was I to him? His friend, or is that a lie too?”

“Sometimes, I feel like it’d be okay if it was all lies, as long as I was happy but… Look where I am, doctor. Look where we are. I’m miserable and I deserve it… Did I make Lumiere and Maurice feel this hurt?”


	3. Stage 3: Bargaining

Stage 3: Bargaining. Observed Tuesday August 15 [ REDACTED ]

My patient has been incredibly silent the past day as the trial approached.

Screaming fits seemed to have stopped as he gathered his thoughts. I am called to bear witness at his trial and testify against him in exchange for leniency in my own. I prepare my testimony, as well as my psychological analysis. If all goes well, I will be pardoned and my patient released into the care of the Maison de Lunes. 

“We find the defendant, Fabien LaFayette, guilty of the following charges:

ATTEMPTED MURDER,  
ACCOMPLICE IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT,  
ACCOMPLICE IN STALKING,  
ARSON,  
ASSAULT,  
BLACKMAIL,  
CONSPIRACY,  
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY,  
ESPIONAGE,  
FALSE IMPRISONMENT,  
HARASSMENT,  
INCITING A RIOT,  
KIDNAPPING,  
PUBLIC INTOXICATION,  
SLANDER,  
and  
TREASON.

We will now move on to the sentencing hearing.”

My patient begins to sweat, an appropriate response given the list of charges he’s presented with. I can deduce anxiety, fear, uncertiancy. 

Before the sentencing, my patient breaks down into a crying fit. Immediately after, he drops to the floor, on his hands and knees. A pitiful display. I record his speech.

“Please! Please don’t kill me, I– I’m sorry!” Tearful eyes complete his remorseful expression. “I didn’t– I didn’t know you were human, I thought Belle loved Gaston, I.. I thought Maurice was dangerous! Please don’t kill me, y-you were right! You were right about everything! Please sentence me to the Maison instead of death– I-it’s where I belong, it’s where I deserve to go! I’ll do anything!”

Now, some may say I coached my patient into saying this during that day of silence…. I’d like to call it a doctor’s recommendation. It’s the entire reason I prepared a psychological analysis for his case at all, after all. Lord knows I’ve reserved a cell for him for the longest time.

“We hereby sentence Fabien LaFayette to death.”

This announcement was met with objections from both my patient and the Princess. My patient begged, groveled to be placed back into my care, but it seems the Princess, and an… uninvited guest, had other plans.


	4. Stage 4: Depression

Stage 4: Depression. Observed Tuesday August 15 [ REDACTED ]

My, I’m just overworked today, aren’t I? It seems I have to start up another file, as the third one to object was a former patient of mine, Madame Rosalind French. Stripped of her magic, the former ‘enchantress’ was nothing more than an old hag, though I suppose she also qualified as the Princess’ mother. 

I ———————– HOW? I stripped her of her magic years ago! The surgeries were completely successful. She was without magic, helpless, trapped in the Maison for years! 

My patient… I must focus on my patient. He is sobbing, on the ground– that seems to be his most favorite place as of late, perhaps he finds safety in it. He appears lost, and to have given in to his fate. Perhaps seeing a survivor of my establishment convinced him that death is a better alternative as he no longer appears to be begging. Instead, he quivers on the ground, waiting for them to take him to his hanging.

But, as I said earlier, Rosalind had some objections. 

“I recommend, to spare him from death, and enact a curse.” As wife of his primary victim, Rosalind did indeed have sway. The prince halts his guards, his interest piqued.

“And what do you say the curse should be, Madame? This one doesn’t quite seem beast material.”

A bit of humor. What a dark coping mechanism, if I may say so myself.  
Rosalind bends down in front of my patient, kneeling to get closer to his level. My patient looks lost, hopeless, shaking, yearning for his end instead of whatever horrible curse this witch may bring.

“LeFou, I will give you a choice…. You can either forget, and I’ll reset your physical state to that of your youth. You will have a chance to live your life over from the start, to learn to be free, to read, to write. You will be healed, you will have a chance. Or…. you will keep your knowledge, your limitations, but until the curse is broken I will remove the opportunity for you to love, as punishment for giving it to the wrong person.”

“I….”

What will my patient choose?

“I… don’t think I’d be able to love again anyways. Not after everything.”

“You do realize I encompass all forms of love in this offer- romance, friendship, family.”

“I don’t deserve any of that anyways,”

“Then it’s settled. Until you learn to love yourself, you will never love another.”

Truly, my patient lacks intelligence. I would’ve easily chosen the route more reminiscent of reincarnation. There is nothing left for him in this life… perhaps depression is accurate, given how he’d choose to wallow in the emptiness.


	5. Stage 5: Acceptance

Stage 5: Acceptance. Monday August 28th, [ REDACTED ]

So these are D’Arque’s journals… perhaps they should be preserved, in his memory and so the rest of the world can remember how horrible he was. I’m glad Fabien had been spared having to watch his execution… it would’ve been detrimental to his healing, no matter how much he hated the doctor. 

I chose to take away Fabien’s love for a while. Since then, he’s been withdrawn. Even Belle couldn’t truly get him to speak, but I believe he needs this time to self-reflect, to come to terms with what he’s done and accept himself. Since his pardon he’s been welcomed into the castle, and although Belle treats him as though he is a brother, he cannot feel the same for her… it does pain me, as I would’ve happily welcomed him into the family should I not have had to curse him. Perhaps he will want to join once it breaks.. If it breaks… we can only hope.

He has to find a way to love himself, someway, somehow. See him as Belle and I see him. Not dumb, but naive. Not ugly, but unique. Not a sinner, but someone who was misled, and someone who can make their own choice if they just believe. 

He has to choose to love himself. It will be hard for him, but he’s making progress every day. We placed a mirror in his room– he actively avoided it at first, but today he came around to stare into it. He insulted himself, his body, but one day that may change. One day he may stare into it and compliment himself…. Hopefully not to the extent Gaston did, but a healthy amount.  
He seems to be moving on from Gaston as well. Although he will not find a replacement, that is for the best. There is a blessing in this curse, it prevents him from doing what he would do and clinging to another, letting another abuse him in the process.

I can only hope that his recovery continues from here, and that one day he breaks his curse and joins us as a family. Until then, I’ve kept a flower- a yellow rose, blooming in waiting.


End file.
